Aldi joins alcohol delivery party

Discount grocer Aldi, which operates more than 1,900 stores in 36 U.S. states, is now delivering beer and wine nationwide, in accordance with state and local laws. Aldi is providing alcoholic beverage delivery via the Instacart on-demand delivery platform, in as little as one hour.

Shoppers can visit the Aldi e-commerce site or Aldi section of the Instacart app to select from an assortment of wine and beer, and have it delivered to their door. Since Aldi began grocery delivery with Instacart in 2017, the retailer has increased the number of locations offering delivery to nearly all U.S. stores.

Aldi and Instacart are offering free delivery for first-time customers with a discount code until Dec. 31, 2019. Customers ordering alcohol must be at least 21 years of age and are required to enter their date of birth at checkout and present a valid government ID at the time of delivery.

"The busy holiday season is fast approaching, making convenience more important than ever, and adding alcohol delivery to our online offerings is one more way ALDI saves you time," said Scott Patton, VP of corporate buying, Aldi U.S. "Our award-winning wines range from less than $5 for 90-point rated Evanta Malbec to $12 for premium offerings, such as 92-point rated Peaks & Tides Cabernet Sauvignon. You can have a bottle delivered to your doorstep in as fast as an hour."

As on-demand delivery becomes an increasingly common service offered by grocers, more grocery retailers have been adding alcohol to their delivery assortment as a competitive differentiator. Other retailers in the grocery space who have recently launched on-demand delivery programs for adult beverages include Walmart (with a curbside pickup option), BJ’s https://chainstoreage.com/bjs-introduces-same-day-liquor-delivery, and Sam’s Club.